Car-coupling



(1 in Model.) 7

D. W. HIGKMAN.

OAR COUPLING. No. 360,880. Patented Apr. 12,1887.

Fla. 2

wi lmooao I I 331 xii-Hamle UNiTED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

' DANIEL l HIOKMAN, OF JERSEYVILLE, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,880, dated April 12, 1887.

Application fi1edDcc3mbcr 20, 1886. Serial No. 222,110. (No model.)

1 of Jerseyville, in the county of Jersey and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Im-' proved Gar-Oouplin and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descrip-.

tion of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters. of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings .of that type consisting, essentially, of a coupling-bar barbed at both ends and adapted to engage with movable jaws secured in the interior of the draw-heads, said movable jaws being provided with barbs adapted to engage with the barbs upon the ends of the coupling-bar.

The object of my invention is to provide a coupling consisting of very few parts, adapted to couple automatically, and uncouple by hand from the side of the car.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, fully described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my coupling, and Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same, taken in the line 00 m, Fig. 1, showing the drawheads and coupling-bar in section. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of the draw-heads and movable jaws, showing the coupling-bar in transverse section, taken on the line 11 y, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A A represent the drawheads, which may be secured to theunder side of the car by the usual or any other suitable means.

BB represent movable barbed j aws, adapted to vibrate in a horizontal plane, and pi votally secured upon studs 0 O, the upper ends of which are designed to project into the frame of the car, the barbs upon said .movable jaws being so constructed as to engage with similar barbs upon the coupling-bar D. Between the parts 0 0 of the movable jaws is a bentspring,

d, held in position by dowels or other convenient means.

Near the rear extremity of the jaw B, in each of the draw-heads, is journaled, uponapin secured in said jaw, a sheave, around which passes a cord or chain, f, the-fixed end of which is secured to an eye in the rear arm of the opposite jaw, as shown in the drawings, and the free end passes through the side of the drawhead, and thence to the outside of the car.

By reference to the drawings itwill be observed that the end of each draw-head where the coupling-bar enters is flared, as shown at 9, that said flared part leads into a narrow channel, h, somewhat wider than the breadth of the main length or middle part of the coupling-bar, which is provided on its under side with a projection, t, at each end, said projection having the same breadth as the main length of the coupling-bar, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be further observed that the coupling-bar is beveled upward ateach end, as shown at J, Fig. 2, and is of such length that when the two draw-heads approach each other the two ends of said coupling-bar will impinge upon the movable jaws at the points 1' r, &c., for the purpose hereinafter explained.

The several parts of my device being constructed and combined as above described, its operation is as follows: As the cars to be coupled approach near together the point of the coupling-bar enters'the flared opening 9 in the opposite draw-head, and is thereby conducted to the movable jaws, the barbed ends ofwhich, being brought together by the action of the spring (1, form a re-entrant angle, into which the barbed head of the couplingbar is thrust with such force as to separate them and admit the head of said bar, after which they instantly close upon the shank thereof by the reaction of the spring d, as shown in Fig. 1; but to insure the necessary action of the jaws B shouldthe spring by any accident fail, the head of the coupling-bar will, by impinging upon the points 1- of the movable jaws, as indicated by arrows, close them behind the head of the coupling-bar, in which position they are securely retained by the draft, which, owing to the inclination of the barbs, tends to draw the jaws together. The uncoupling is effected by a sharp pull upon the cord or chain f from the side of the lower part of the car through which the cord or chain projects, thus opening the jaws, as indicated by dotted lines in the drawings.

It will be noticed that the projection t, sliding in thelongitudinal channel h, prevents the possibility while disconnecting the cars of drawing the coupling-bar aside, and hence insures its release from both jaws simultaneously as they are drawn aside.

If so preferred, both jaws in each draw-head may be provided with sheaves, so that the uncoupling may be effected from either side of the car.

I am aware that a barbed coupling-bar is not new. I am also aware that movablejaws provided with barbs adapted to engage with similar barbs upon the coupling-bar are not new, and therefore I do not broadly claim such.

Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupling having movable jaws adapted to vibrate horizontally and contained wholly wilhiu the draw'head, the combination, with either or both of said jaws, of a sheavejournaled in the rearend thereof, carry ing a chain or cord, of which one end is se' cured to the extremity of the opposite jaw and the other passed around the sheave and through the side of the drawhead to the outside of the car, as set forth.

2. In a car-coupling consisting, essentially, of barbed movable jaws pivotally secured in the draw-head so as to engage with the barbed ends of the coupling-bar, the projections z depending from the lower edge of said couplingbar, and the channels it in the draw-head,sa1d features constructed and adapted to each other for cooperative effect, substantially as set forth.

I11 testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day 01 October, 1886.

hi. DANIEL w. I-IIGKMAN.

mark.

Vi tnesscs:

JOEL E. CORY, F. J. SoILxT'rGEN. 

